The National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA) has allayed fears of a shortage of fuel following days of panic-buying in the capital Lilongwe it attributed to logistical challenges.
In a statement on Monday, NOCMA said assured Malawians that the country had enough supplies of petrol and diesel and continued “to receive fuel imports from the ports of Dar es Salaam and Beira despite foreign exchange challenges which has affected the Company’s importation capacity.”
“NOCMA is aware that over the past forty-eight (48) hours the country has experienced sporadic location-based fuel shortages, especially in Lilongwe and parts of the central region which had led to panic buying,” the company said.
It added: “This was mainly because of a surge in demand in Lilongwe and parts of the central region which undermined the weekend supply due to many events that were taking place in city over the weekend.”
The logistical challenges saw long queues developing outside service stations across Lilongwe and other areas since Saturday.
“The sporadic fuel supply situation in Lilongwe and any other parts in the country are being corrected as product is being released from the Strategic Fuel Reserves as well as from other importers to ensure sustainable availability of fuel at all service stations.”
It expected the fuel supply situation in Lilongwe city and other cities across the country should normalize by Tuesday.
JN/APA